Dozens of pilot whales have stranded and died on Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Vets discovered 77 animals on a beach, of which only 12 were still alive.
“With limited resources and reduced staff, the health of the surviving animals was assessed and first aid was administered as the tide approached,” said British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). The stranded whales included males up to seven metres long, as well as females, calves and young animals.
“There are whales everywhere. There’s a long line, some are still alive.” The cause of the mass stranding is currently unclear, says Emma Neave-Webb of BDMLR. It’s possible that one animal got into trouble and the rest tried to help it.
Here you see a tweet about the mass stranding.
“We have to remain realistic”
The rescuers urged the public to avoid Tresness Beach on the Orkney island of Sanday during the rescue. Rescuers from other locations and mainland Scotland are on their way. “We will of course do our best, but they (the whales, mind you) have been here for a while so we have to be realistic.”
The scene was horrific and “very emotional.” Just a year ago, 55 pilot whales stranded on the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Hebrides, and only one animal survived. Pilot whales are also known as pilot whales and form extremely close bonds with each other. At certain times of the year, they travel in large groups, which increases the risk of mass strandings.
Source: Krone
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